Kid Kenobi

There’s no disputing the transient nature of the DJ: many hopefuls come and go, but few actually remain. You could attribute this to one of many vague criticisms of the dance scene, but the truth is DJs who quickly and quietly sink into obscurity just don’t have what it takes. When the lights go on, the job isn’t all guestlists and groupies and not many people love the job that much to persevere.

Jesse Desenberg does. It’s been a decade now since he began DJing as Kid Kenobi and during this time his contributions to the Australian dance scene can be matched by few of his peers. A quick look at his rap sheet shows he was voted Number 1 DJ in the Technics InTheMix Top 50 three years in a row; he’s chalked up so many mix CDs for Ministry of Sound Australia they made a special sessions series for him; he’s even got a Dance Music Award under his belt for his remix of Green Velvet’s “La La Land”. Most people don’t achieve so much in a lifetime, but for Kid Kenobi this is still the beginning. He’s also been growing out of the DJ tag with long hours in the production seat.

While Kid Kenobi the artist is adored by fans and respected by fellow DJs, Jesse himself is loved by everyone. Despite his high profile and commercial success, he’s the last person to buy into his own hype and the first person to hang out after the gig for a beer and a chat.

2006 literally took Jesse around the world. His itinerary read like a Lonely Planet guidebook, only with better nightlife recommendations. From Brazil to Canada to London to Cologne to Shanghai to Paris to San Fran Cisco, the more he travels, the better he gets, the more he gets booked, the more he travels and so on. His popularity just continues to snowball, so if he comes to your town in 2007, make sure you don’t miss him. It might be a while before he has the chance to come back.